The Night Before Christmas
by CelticRemedy
Summary: "Having a believer was thrilling and, ironically, warmed his heart. He thought he watched all his lights go out, guess he missed one. Even though he might have not know who he was talking to, he still saw him." Jack finds his last light in the darkness after everything seemed hopeless.
1. Chapter 1

**The Night Before Christmas**

Christmas Eve. The night North shined. This was the night were all the children sat up in their beds waiting for a sign that Santa was near. While his all his hard work goes unnoticed outside. Jack Frost, ex-guardian, sat on the sidewalk of New York City. He sat with his shoulders slummed and hood drawn over his head.

_Ex_-guardian because there was there was no reason _to_ be a guardian anymore. Nobody believed in him and the others didn't get it. North would always have kids that would believe in him – he had the most! Bunny, Tooth and Sandy would have believers too. Kids usually grew up with legends of them along with North.

But never Jack Frost. There was never a story of him shared around the fireplace.

* * *

_Jack leaned against the railing, eyes glued to the globe. He sighed. What was he even doing? Lights were going out faster than Sandy could put him to sleep – Lights for him. Of course, he saw this coming. Nobody believed in Jack Frost._

_There was only a handful left of lights left. He loved them dearly, his last believers, but it was no use. They would go out like the rest of them._

_He lowered his head as the tears began. He could feel the other guardian's eyes on them. He wish they'd all leave him alone. One by one, more lights went out. What was the point of this?_

_Shakily, he reached out and grabbed his staff as he raised his head. Just a couple more left and they went out as quickly as the rest. Four…three…two…_

"_I quit," Jack said out loud, turning away as the last one went out._

_Everyone came out of their hiding spots. Tooth was the first to speak, "Jack…"_

"_No," He shook his head. "Don't try to stop me. There's no point anymore. You'd feel the same way if nobody believed in you."_

_Jack walked out with no real plan of where he was going. Where could he go? Somewhere quiet so he wouldn't be bothered by all the people he's invisible too._

_As the door slammed shut, Sandy looked up at the globe again. His eyes went wide as he saw a light appear on the globe. It wasn't just any light through, it was a light for none other but Jack Frost. He wasn't the only one who saw that. Tooth was calling out Jack's name in hopes he'll come back to see._

_He never did._

* * *

Jack shook the memory out of his head. It wasn't something he wanted to remember. Soundlessly he walked the streets of New York, what he was doing here he couldn't could tell you. He kind of just…landed here. Of course, one of the most populated area in the world to make him miserable.

He turned a corner and laid eyes on a tall tower that was lit up like a Christmas tree. A mischievous smile crosses his face as he took off on his staff. People on the streets grimaced as a cold wind hit their faces. No one looked for the cause of course.

"Oof," Jack grunted as he landed face down on the snowy concrete roof of the building. He wasn't sure what building it was; it just had a big 'A' on the front of it. But boy did he have a _great_ view of the city! Perhaps there were still some things this world could offer him.

Tony Stark sat out on the roof of Avengers Tower. The rest of the Avengers were inside celebrating Christmas with gifts and hot chocolate. Don't worry, he'll go unmissed and his presence unnoticed surely.

The more he spent with the Avengers, the less he thought of himself. The team didn't need him – they needed his tech. '_Iron Man, yes. Tony Stark, not recommended,_' after all. He was pretty damn sure Cap hated him. Banner and Barton tolerated him. Natasha…he's never bother to figure out how she thought of him. He knew she didn't like him.

A thump startled him. At first he thought it was one of the other Avengers but quickly dismissed that notion. They were having such a great time when he left. Why go looking for him now?

Knowing that, Tony slowly stood up and walked to the source of the sound. He was shocked to find a boy with snow white hair and a blue sweatshirt lying in the snow.

"How…How did you get up here?" Surely someone must have seen him. The kid jumped at the sound of his voice and reached for a stick, a stick just about the size of him with a curved top. The look on his face was utter confusion maybe a little bit of joy mixed it. "You going talk? Or do I have to drag security all the way up here? They won't be happy about doing that…"

"Uh…" the kid began. A million questions were going through the boy's head. But the only words he could form were "I'm Jack?"

A small smile crossed his face, "Tony. And…I wasn't going to call security by the way. They don't listen to me. But…how did you get all the way to the top without getting noticed?"

"Luck?"

He laughed, "I don't believe in that, kid."

"I have a question," Jack stood up, grabbing his staff. "It's Christmas Eve, why aren't with your family instead of freezing on top of a building?" Tony scoffed. "Alright…friends?" A shallow look appeared in the man's eyes. "You too, huh? I got abandoned as well." Which was more or less the truth. He abandoned the guardians but everyone else abandoned him.

Tony sat down with his hands resting on his knees. "At least you had people that actually cared about you…"

"Oh I bet they do," Jack said, sitting on top of the railing. "You just haven't given them the full chance to show it. Sometimes it takes time for people to show it."

Tony laughed, "Look at me now, getting therapy from a sixteen year old."

"Hey!" Jack exclaimed. "I'm eighteen."

He waved a hand dismissively, "Same difference."

"So…" He got off the railing and walked around with his staff resting against his shoulder. "What's this building even for? What kind of boring business takes place here?" He tapped his staff against the wall. A steel echoing reached his ears.

Tony just stared at him. "What you've never heard of the Avengers?" Jack looked at him, lost. "Band of misfit superheroes going around saving the world? What hole did you fall down?"

"A cold one?" Jack joked. Of course he's heard of the Avengers! He's listened to the news casts from open windows, quite an interesting story.

A smile crossed the man's face. Their talk couldn't continue sadly because in that moment none other but Bruce Banner walked onto the roof. "Tony? What are you doing out here?" He wrapped his arms around his chest, mentally scolding himself for forgetting a jacket.

Tony looked at the doctor, then back at Jack. Banner looked at him like he was crazy. He looked right through Jack, like he wasn't there. Was…he going crazy?

"You sure you're okay?" Banner asked, voice laden with concern. "Why don't you come down? The cold must be getting to you."

Tony nodded, "I'll be down in a minute." Banner nodded and left, closing the door before him. Tony stood up and pointed at the door, "Why couldn't he see you."

Jack just winked, "Later Tony." He tapped his staff on the ground. The concrete became a frozen drawing ground. Before Tony could move, the kid was jumping off the building and _flying_ away on his staff.

Jack smiled as he flew away. Having a believer was thrilling and, ironically, warmed his heart. He thought he watched all his lights go out, guess he missed one. Even though he might have not known who he was talking to, he still saw him.

A wide smile appeared on Tony's face as he watched Jack fly away. "Jack Frost…!" He couldn't believe his luck. He's believed in the wintery spirit since he was a child and stole that book of fairy tales out of the living room. "I can't believe this…"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Okay…not sure where this came from. But a plot bunny hit me and I just started writing and came out…with this! I have this small head canon that Tony thought of the guardians as his own personal family and friends when he was growing up, considering he didn't have much of a real one._

_Please review?_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ The response this story got was truly overwhelming. And due to that, I decided to go along and continue. So everyone who reviewed wishing for more, congratulations, you have got your wish. And you have driven me insane. (I still love you) Also, I'd like to thank blackkyu, who actually helped me figure out much of the plot (even if they didn't know they did.)_

* * *

**The Night Before Christmas**

**Chapter Two**

"Oh, oh dear," Tooth said as she watch more lights flicker then disappear. More and more have been going out since Jack left. Children didn't believe in them anymore. It was…horrifying! She suddenly understood what Jack was going through when all his lights went out. Hopefully he found that person that still believed. She couldn't imagine what he'd start doing if he didn't.

In one horrifying moment, the entire globe when dark. But then, in a sudden flash, lights began reappearing, one by one and quicker than they could go out.

Something very odd was going on here.

* * *

Tony woke to frost on his window and the sight of snow floating carelessly to the ground.

It was snowing again. And snow meant one thing – Jack Frost. The other Avengers were surely starting to suspect something of him. He _did_ kinda race through the living room, trying to get to the elevator as quickly as he could. He was running so fast that he didn't notice the looks of confusion they shared with themselves. Except for Natasha who sat by herself with a soft smile on her face.

Yup, Tony Stark has definitely gone mad.

The elevator went way too slow for his liking. He made a mental note to work on that. He was so excited that he didn't notice the thin layer of ice the winter spirit made when he arrived when he stepped off the elevator.

"Watch out!" he heard Jack yell just before he promptly slipped on the ice and fell flat on his face. Jack doubled over in laughter. "Hey, can't say I didn't warn you." A snowball followed; hit him square in the face. "You call that a snowball?" A small snowball fight might have ensued before Tony was lying on the concrete floor in a fit of laughter.

The more time he spent up here, the more Tony was getting used to the cold. At first it was bothersome but that's the price to pay to be friends with Jack Frost. How many mornings have he spent up here? He couldn't tell you.

He was smarter this time and brought a coat and a scarf. Even Jack would call him crazy for going up here wearing a short sleeve shirt.

Jack honestly was getting nervous about coming so often. He loved having a believer but was he pushing it? What if Tony suddenly starts to get sick of him coming around all the time? What if…he stops believing? That's why he has thought about not coming around as often. New York was getting quite the snow storm. But the sheer joy in the man's eyes…he was _happy_ Jack came.

Maybe he could ease it with the snow…

"What trouble have you caused now?" Tony asked once he righted himself.

Jack smirked, "Oh nothing…it might be snowing in Arizona but, nothing they can't handle. Oh, and New York has gotten the worst of the winter so far. I know a certain man they can thank for that."

"You don't _have_ to make it snow every time you come, you know," Tony pointed out. Knowing the people who had it out for him, they would find a way to blame the snowstorm on him. It wasn't possible to change the weather, unless you were Thor and he only had control over thunder.

"Aw," Jack said, "but where's the fun in that? Maybe it might even make more people believe in me."

"So the only people who can see you are the people who _believe_ in you," Tony said. This whole thing was starting to make sense to him. "And…there are others?"

Jack, perched on the top of the railing, nodded, "North, Sandy, Tooth and Bunny. And well…there's Pitch but he's not a Guardian." _The opposite of one, actually,_ Jack thought to himself with a smirk.

Tony nodded. He already knew about this, from the book. Pitch he guessed was the Nightmare King. The book never really gave him a name. Actually the book left great big gaps in information. He was thankful Jack was here to fill in those gaps. As a child that was enough to sustain him but he was an adult now and he had the _real_ Jack Frost here. He might as well take advantage of the situation. Pitch actually sounded like a certain Asgardian they know too well.

"Why do you believe in me?" Jack asked his voice sadder than Tony's ever heard it before. "I mean, most people who believe in me are…well, kids."

"You…" Oh god, he never thought he'd be telling this story to anyone. "You and the…um, other Guardians…. My father had this book that I stole out of the living room when I was a kid. It was a book of fairy tales, and it had stories about the Guardians. I didn't have much of a family. My father ignored me. Other kids were intimidated or just didn't like me so friends were out of the question. You and the other Guardians…well, you made up for that."

"And you kept that belief going all these years…impressive!"

Tony sent a half-hearted glare at the winter spirit. "Hey, I'm not _that_ old." They fell into a comfortable silence before he asked, "Is it hard? Making friends when you know there's a chance they'll forget you."

"Yeah…it is," Jack nodded. "But you learn to enjoy it…the time when they do believe and can see you," he added as a feeble attempt to cheer himself up. He didn't have to know he was his last believer.

Tony looked at sky as it started to get dark. But that wasn't right, it was still early morning. Sinister storm clouds were beginning to rage over the city. He stood up and walked over to the railing. Jack turned around and jumped down off the railing once he saw that clouds.

"Those…aren't normal clouds…are they?" Tony said. It also stopped snowing which was slightly worrying.

Jack shook his head. He had a death grip on his staff. "They're not clouds. It's Pitch," he growled. "Go back inside – and stay there! I'll come back as soon as I can. Don't – I repeat do _not_ follow me." Without waiting for a response, Jack jumped over the railing and was carried off by the wind.

Tony carefully made his way back to the elevator, slipping on the ice a few times. While in the elevator, he worked, somewhat unsuccessfully, on a cover story to explain what's going on. Obviously there would be questions. And the Avengers would probably find a way to blame him. _"What did you screw up this time, Stark?"_ He could almost hear the words coming right out of Rogers' mouth. He had a feeling 'It's the Nightmare King' wasn't going to cut it.

He spent most of the time Jack was gone in the lab, tweaking the Iron Man or working on nothing at all really. Some of the time was spent pacing, worrying. Yes he had thought of putting on the suit and following but quickly dismissed that thought.

This would probably be the one time Tony Stark would follow orders.

His lab was cluttered with filled with failed or unfinished projects that he used to fill his time. He couldn't keep his mind focus long enough to get one of them done.

The other Avengers began to come to him with questions. They were worried, about what he didn't know. He didn't understand what they were worried about.

"You wouldn't understand," was his answer every time. They don't know how to take a hint.

One day, he was in the kitchen. He sat at the island, tapping nervously and staring at nothing, when Natasha walked in. She stood there for a moment before walking over and sitting in front of him.

"Alright Stark," She began. "What's going on? And don't give me any of that 'you won't understand' crap you've been telling everyone?"

Classic Natasha, she's the only one who would voice what else was thinking.

"I'm fine," he managed to get out. "I'm just…worried about somebody." She didn't seem to believe that either. "Nat, really, I don't think you would understand. I'm not trying to brush you off, trust me. You just really won't understand."

"Try me."

He told her, about Jack and about what happened with the clouds, and she listened but he still didn't know if she believed him.

Sleep didn't come well that night. His dreams were filled with nightmares of Jack, getting hurt or dying, take your pick. He saw both. Tony sat up the rest of the night, worried about his friend. Two three days passed with no word of the winter spirit. They didn't get any snow, which others were happy about but it worried Tony. Snow was a sign, a sign that Jack was alright.

Four days passed and Tony was woken up by something hitting his window. He sat up quickly, eyes wide in terror. For a second he thought he was having another nightmare. That was when he glanced over at the window.

"Jack!" He shouted as he threw the covers off and ran over to the window. The winter spirit was hurt and holding on to the side of the window for dear life. Tony slowly opened the window, grabbing Jack before he fell.

Tony knelt down in the middle of the floor, holding Jack in his arms like a life line. "Jack? Jack, don't do this to me. Give me a sign. Tell me you're still alive." He was bruised and beaten. Whatever was out there was strong and powerful. He kicked himself now for not following. Shouldn't the other Guardians know this was happening? Why didn't they come?

It appeared that Jack had no control over his powers when he was hurt. Because in the moment, a light snow started right there in his room and the floor was slowly covered in a layer of frost. The temperature also dropped twenty degrees. Tony took no notice of this. He smiled because Jack was still alive but tears where in his eyes because he didn't know how to help him.

He laid Jack down on the floor gently, not knowing what else to do. Tears unwilling started to fall. He heard somebody outside of his room. The door opened slowly.

"What the hell?"

Tony looked over and saw Natasha standing there with a confused look on her face.

"I told you," He sighed. "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Well here it is. The second chapter of the story I never thought I was going to write, ever. Hope all of you like. There's more to come! (Aren't you guys lucky? Just kidding, I love this writing story already)_

_Please review?_


	3. Chapter 3

The Night before Christmas

Chapter Three

Natasha just stood in the door way for a moment. There were too many questions running through her head to form a single thought let along a sentence. At first she thought Stark screwed up and got a kid injured. Then he freaked out and instead of calling the paramedics, he brought him here. But that wouldn't explain why it was _snowing_.

It was she then she put the pieces of the puzzle together. Whenever it was snowing, Tony would go up to the roof and remain there for a large amount of the day. And there were always children's legends about a man that brought snow and how only some people could see him…

No. No way, it can't be. She stepped into the room, slowly closing the door behind her. But it made sense didn't? The kid was only dressed in a blue sweatshirt and pants that looked like they didn't fit as well as they used too. His hair was snow white and he was lacking shoes. Beside him lay a staff that was covered in frost.

_Frost._ Jack Frost. The child's legend – well, apparently he's not much of a legend anymore.

"Wait," Tony said, sitting up straighter. "Can…can you see him?" His voice was hopeful but he still doubted. _She saw the snow_, he told himself. Until she nodded.

"So…Jack Frost, right? It's been awhile since I heard the legend," She, almost timidly Tony noticed, walked farther into the room and knelt down. "What happened to him?"

Tony faltered. He didn't know at all what happened to his friend. He's been unconscious since he got here. He's been gone for at least three days. _You're just figuring this out?_ "I…I'm not sure. Do you remember that cloud that kinda hovered over New York for a couple of days?" She nodded. "Well he went to go see what was going and when he came back, he was like this."

"Seems like you too are pretty close," Natasha joked. "When did you meet?"

"Christmas Eve," Tony smiled. A day he won't soon be forgetting. It practically changed his life. A month ago, he never imagined he'd be taking care of a winter entity.

"I guessed there was something you were keeping secret," She said. "I never guessed _this_ but there had to be a reason the roof was becoming Tony Stark's newest hideout, right?" She was also surprised that he never once tried to tell them what was going on.

Tony looked back at Jack. "I just…there's something going on here, something big. I want to help but…he won't tell me what's going on. He told me not follow him. I wish I had."

"He probably had a good reason to ask you to stay. If he thought he couldn't handle it, he would have asked you to come with him," she interjected, trying to make him feel better. The look that followed after proved her attempts were in vain. "I don't think he's injured beyond bruises. Nothing looks broken. Let him sleep, god know he needs it."

Tony nodded.

* * *

For the couple of days, while Jack was resting, Tony filled Natasha in on all the information he knew on the Guardians – from both the book and what he learned from Jack. He felt a war coming on. It was best she was informed.

The morning retinue was sitting at the foot of Tony's bed watching Jack in feeble hope – with hot chocolate. Natasha's contribution…and attempt to distract Tony. It didn't work that well. Jack didn't seem to be getting any better but hasn't gotten any worse…which she guessed was a good thing.

Most of times they tried talking about things un-Guardian related. Other times…it seemed to be the only time they could talk about.

"Do you think Pitch is trying to take over the world again?" she asked.

Tony shrugged. "He could be. But he certainly got helped this time or somehow got stronger. I wish we could find the other Guardians, so Jack doesn't have to fight Pitch alone."

"And even if they don't come, he doesn't have to fight alone," Natasha said. "We'll help him." After a conflicted silence, she asked, "What kind of help do you think Pitch got – if he did get any help, I mean."

Without missing a beat, Tony answered, "Loki. There's not a doubt in my machine heart that he went to our old friend. It makes perfect sense. Pitch is the king of nightmares, Loki _is_ a nightmare. Two sides of the same coin."

"We're going to have our work cut out for us."

The sun was starting to rise and sunlight flooded through the windows. The constant snowing – that made Tony have to sleep on the couch in the living room – thankfully stopped. However it was still twenty degrees colder than it should be.

Neither of them noticed the white haired boy that suddenly moved under the blanket.

"Am I…interrupting something?"

Tony nearly jumped out of skin. "J-Jack!" He exclaimed in a mix of confusion, disbelief, and pure joy. "You're awake!"

"Awake?" He pulled himself up into a sitting position. "I mean…I don't remember…what happened?"

Tony looked slightly worried. "You were gone for three days, something about Pitch, you said. You were unconscious for another two."

The news hit Jack like a ton of bricks. He missed _five_ days? Gosh, when was the last time that happened? He didn't think he ever got himself into that much trouble before. And Pitch was back? None of this sounded good.

Why can't he remember anything?

"Can you remember anything about what happened?"

He was shocked to hear a voice that wasn't Tony's asking him a question. He looked over and saw a red-headed woman sitting next to the man.

"Oh," Tony began. "Right, Jack, this is my friend, Natasha. I'm sorry, but before we continue this wonderful conversation, do you think we could do it somewhere less…wet?" Jack looked around at the state of the snow – now melted – covered room and laughed.

* * *

"So, is there a chance of finding the other Guardians?" Tony asked from the refrigerator. Jack was perched on top of the island in the middle of the kitchen – and quiet an extravagant kitchen, he might add. This entire place was extravagant. Glad he was getting an inside view for once – instead of looking through windows. "I'll give you a tour later," Tony added when he noticed him staring.

Jack shrugged, "Maybe. I think I know where they are. But, I left them after everyone stopped believing in me. I don't know how they'd take my sudden reappearance." He had thought about going back to the Guardians before. He didn't know what was stopping him honestly.

Tony glanced over at Natasha, who was leaning against the counter. "Well obviously something malfunctioned with your little believer-tracker because two believers are standing right in front of you. I'm sorry but have you stopped to think you're being tricked? Maybe it's something Pitch is doing."

Yes, he has thought about that possibility. It was the only explanation he could come up with.

"Alright…so there's some Nightmare King that's trying to take over the world." Natasha looked over at Tony, "Doesn't that sound like somebody we know."

"Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that," he smiled. "But I somehow doubt Loki is involved this time. For one, we would know and he's still locked up in Asgard. I'm sure Thor would have told us if they let him out."

Jack perked up at the mention of the realm, "You're friends of Asgardians?" Tony and Natasha noticed in worry that he was clutching his staff tighter and more defensively than before. His pale hands were getting whiter.

Tony nodded slowly. "Not a fan?" Jack shook his head. He wasn't looked at them now. "You going to tell us why or do we have to guess?"

"One tried to kill me once," the winter spirit said with no emotion in his voice. It was sort of his fault but how was he suppose to know he was messing up an extraterrestrial meeting?

"Do you know which one?" Natasha asked with the same amount of worry Tony would have had in his voice if it were he that asked the question. "Some Asgardians are more…violent in nature and are easy to provoke." She was talking about Loki, obviously.

Jack shrugged, "Didn't stick around long enough to find out. I remember there was a lot of thunder when he got angry. And I almost got struck with lightning."

Tony looked over at Natasha. Both of them had the same look, _what does Thor have against Jack?_ "This changes things," he whispered. "Ok! So, how are we going get the others to believe? I mean, that's our plan right? Get the others to believe? More believers mean more strength for the Guardians and less hope for Pitch's 'take over the world through fear' plan."

She shook her head at the sudden subject change. "Barton will be easy," She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. "He believes everything I say." Tony laughed in confirmation. "There's a slight chance that he already believes. I wouldn't be surprised if he does. Rogers and Banner are another story, especially Banner. He's a man of science. Snow forms in the clouds and falls when it's cold enough."

"Is that what people believe now?" Jack asked a hint of a smile on his face. Tony laughed.

"You know Banner," He said, elbowing the spirit. "Remember the first night we meet? He's the guy that told me to come inside – the one who couldn't see you." Tony suddenly became serious. "I think I could get Rogers to believe. Pester him enough and he'll believe anything. I think Banner is a lost cause here. We'll have to play without the Hulk this time. Which is unfortunate…"

"Because if Loki is really involved he'll have some type of army at his disposal," Natasha finished for him. "We barely made it out alive the last time he attacked."

"But we shouldn't worry about Loki until we know for sure if he escaped or not," Tony added as an afterthought. "We already have Pitch to worry about and it wouldn't do us anything good to be worrying about a threat that's not even real."

He needed to learn to take his own advice because Tony was starting to think about the possibility of another attack from Loki. And if he was allied with Pitch, they can count out Asgard's help. They seemed to have some grudge against the Guardians. Which left them one path to go down.

They needed to find the other Guardians.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Short chapter, sorry. I'll try to make them longer in the future. Doesn't mean this chapter isn't important though! Jack's awake, finally. Natasha believes. And they finally have a plan. For what though?_

_Please review?_


	4. Author's Note

**This is not a chapter but an announcement.**

I regret to announce - this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell. Goodbye.

Ok...all sillyness aside. I am not continuing this story. I know everyone enjoys it and I'm glad for that but its beginning to take up too much of my time. I'm a high school student who is dealing with essays and midterms and Band. I don't have as much time as I used to so something things are going to be cut back. Fanfiction, being the least of priorities right now, is what's receiving the cut.

And I lost all my love for this story. It's become a burden for me.

The thing is, this story was meant to be a one-shot. there wasn't suppose to be a Chapter 2 or 3. It was suppose to be a one shot of Tony and Jack meeting. A story of find hope when there's nothing left. It wasn't meant to go on. I was pushing myself to write more to a story that wasn't meant to have anything else but that one chapter.

So. This is it. This is me getting out.

Goodbye,

CelticRemedy

(sorry about all the other fandom references...I couldn't help myself. If you can name them I'll love you.)


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